Whispers in the Dark
by Yubi.Fanficts
Summary: Miku Hatsune has always been haunted by her hallucinations - her schizophrenia gets worse by the day. But there is one certain hallucination that likes to see what her face looks like when painted with terror. All of her delusions have a reason to exist in her mind - everyone besides him. She will not stop until she finds out why he haunts her to the point of insanity. (LenxMiku)
1. Magnet

**Whispers in the Dark**

**Chapter 1: ****Magnet**

_/Inspired by the song "Calalini" by Kaai Yuki._

"Get away from me!" I scream hoarsely as my hands slam against my ears as if they'll stop the echoing voices that drown my head like a heavy fog. Gritting my teeth, I attempt to calm my breathing down to a safe, steady pace, but no matter how hard I try my breathing keeps skittering - keeps coming out in small, fast inhales and exhales - much like how I flinch when another voice demands me to do a selfish act.

Grabbing the nearest object closest to me, I pound it down to the tiled floor of the bathroom. A shattering sound pierces the thin air. I can feel taps of glass flick against my bare feet. Glancing slightly at the glass that is now in millions of pieces painted all over the tiled floor, I can see a faint hint of _his_ bare foot next to the shattered toothbrush holder.

My eyes tightly shut close once again as I rapidly shake my head forcing my long teal hair to flip around me - to flip against _him_. "Go away! Go away! Go away!" I yell at him, but he remains silent and still. I can feel his cold, piercing stare stab against the back of my neck. Flinching again, I can feel myself tremble as goosebumps crawl all over my body. "What do you want?!" I yell in a command for him to answer me.

Instead of replying, he allows more threatening voices to fill inside my mind - allows them to drown me in misery and insanity. It's as if he is holding a water bottle just above my head, and when he takes off the cap, he lets the icy water fall straight onto me without hesitation. It's as if he is the one controlling how far my sanity can go.

Giving up on trying to make him vanish for even a minute, I haul over myself and allow the fresh sting of warm tears to fall out of my eyes and drip onto the ground - the small drops of fear mixing in with the tiny bits of shattered glass as if they can blend together. After a few moments... everything stops. The voices stop screaming at me like I'm an animal, his cold stare seems to no longer exist, and my tears stop gushing out like a leakage. I slowly, hesitantly glance up at the boy - only to find that he is no longer standing by the sink, no longer standing by me, no longer by my side. Faintly smiling now that he's gone, I allow myself to lean against the wall and wipe away my tears of my trembling weakness.

_Damn it, the one time my parents leave me alone..._

Sighing with relief, I stand up and quickly stumble out of the bathroom - away from where he was standing only moments ago. Quickly making my way to the balcony, I burst through the doors and gulp in the chilling taste of fresh autumn air pleased that he forgot to lock all of the doors this time and keep me trapped inside of my own house like he did last month. It's as if he's playing a game, and I'm the main objective.

Being outside is the only place where he doesn't visit me... the only place I'm safe - at least until the brisk blanket of darkness covers the night sky anyway. I stare at the setting sun that blends into the horizon making the sky a soft, gentle pearly pink. I have maybe an hour left - just enough time for my parents to return from the hospital and to keep me company.

I haven't seen _him_ in such a long time... both my parents and I thought that just maybe the handful of daily pills I usually take weren't needed any more - that I was finally over with the battle I have been fighting ever since young - that the doctor was wrong and my schizophrenia won't last my whole entire life like he said.

My hand digs deep into my jean's pocket hoping to hurry and find my phone so I can call my parents and inform them that my hallucinations hasn't stopped as we thought they did. Finding it empty, I quickly check my other pocket as my breath halts and my pulse pounds against my ears - but it's just as empty as the other.

A faint tapping noise whispers from behind me... as if telling me a secret. Immediately, my body stiffens as I can feel my heartbeat slam against my frail ribs frantically. The tapping continues, but doesn't grow any louder. Instead, it sounds as if it's a clock ticking along with each passing second with a steady but quiet rhythm.

Slowly, hesitantly, I turn my head behind me to see a dark figure facing me from behind the glass door. Just as I thought and feared, _he_ is gently tapping the corner of my small phone against the glass obviously trying to snatch my attention away from anything else that isn't him. Choking on my breath, I turn around to face him attempting to look as calm as I can. Even though he knows as well as I that he has successfully grabbed my full attention, he continues to faintly tap my phone against the door - _teasing_ me... _testing_ me.

A hint of a smile blooms onto my lips as I stare at the blanket of darkness that coats his figure. He can't bother me now. He doesn't have access to me since it's still day and I'm outside on the balcony. He can't try and control me like he always does.

Suddenly, he stops the tapping and drops the phone onto the carpet rug that's inside the house. He lowers his arm down to his side and stands still on the other side of the glass just... watching me. My smile immediately fades as my breath catches in my throat. _What is he thinking?_

He slowing lifts the black hood that covers his face just enough so that I can plainly see only half of his hidden identity - just enough so I can see everything below his nose. It's the first time that I have seen any hint of his skin - he always covers his body head to toe with black clothing blocking me from any faint hint of what he truly looks like underneath his blanket of darkness.

Before I can say or do anything, my eyes widen in confused terror as a demented grin slices across his pale lips. I can immediately feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as my eyes bolt onto his twisted smile - a smile which will without a doubt haunt me for the next few weeks, maybe even months. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to break my gaze away from his wide grin. It's as if I am frozen and I have no choice but to stare at him.

His pale skin glows in the setting sunlight as he gently tilts his head. For several minutes, his grin doesn't weaken the slightest, and I am still fighting myself to jolt my gaze away from him. Surrendering to fear, I snap, "What the hell do you want from me!? Leave me alone!"

"Miku..? Is everything okay?" A voice echos from below me - from just below the balcony. My eyes snap wide as I slowly glance over my shoulder with my cheeks flushing different shades of cherry pink. As soon as my watery eyes lock with gentle blue ones, a faint smile paints onto my trembling lips.

"Luka? Um yes, everything's fine. I just - I'm just acting for a play I want to try out for. Sorry you had to hear all that - what do you think?" I face her - allowing my back to face _him_, anything to look away from his smile - attempting to slither the most convincing smile as I possible can, but even I can feel my lips slightly twitching. She raises an eyebrow questioning me, but she soon ignores my behavior and flips a thick lock of long glistening pink hair over her shoulder before settling her gaze on everything but me.

"Ah, you had me worried sick for a moment there, Miku. That's one hell of a job at acting - you should definitely make the part you are seeking for." Her calm, cooling voice flows over me like a light summer breeze. Her face is completely blank and expressionless leaving me wondering if she truly did believe my horrible excuse for a lie or not.

As soon as she gently waves goodbye and walks into her house next door to mine, a relieving sigh escapes my dry lips. The moment I hear the little _click_ from her door shutting, my gaze rips back behind me at the balcony's door - but the boy and his haunting grin are no longer in sight taunting me.

"Why?" I weakly mumble to myself. "Why are you doing this to me?" I start to weep as I slowly slide down the balcony's bars onto the ground. Bringing my knees to my chest, I deeply bury my head into the heart of my knees and shiver. What have I ever done to deserve raw torture like this? What have I done to be haunted daily by this boy?

"Not all of your hallucinations are bad, you know," a familiar voice echos around my ears through the crisp air. Barely glancing to my left already knowing who it is, I can barely see a faint of lime-green hair before returning my gaze into the heat of my legs. Whispering, I breathe, "It's not a good time, Gumi. He's getting worse."

A soft giggle comes from the girl's lips. "I can tell. He only comes around when you're alone, hm? Not even I have seen him for myself - I've only sensed him."

"But you're a hallucination yourself, Gumi. Since both of you are from my own mind, do you ever cross paths?" I ask the girl, whom only crosses her legs and gazes at the glass door. It's a question I've asked her about ever since I first met her - right after _he_ came into my useless life.

Darkness follows the boy - it always has ever since we were children. I don't know why he appeared, I don't know why he haunts me, but he's been there... watching me, drowning me in his sick games of terror. Ever since I first caught a simple glimpse of him, my nerves have been stretched thinner than a string.

"I told you already, I know as much as you do. I am a part of your mind, so that means I know everything you do. Nothing more, nothing less." For a few minutes, silence scratches between us. Before I'm sure she'll disappear from boredom of an ended conversation, she breaks the silence, "I am here because you needed a friend. That's why your mind created me - you needed someone to talk to who understood you. I am here-"

"-because I am terrified of that boy and I didn't want to be alone." I interrupt her. I turn my head slightly away from the darkness of my legs and stare at her pale, bright face. She locks her forest-green gaze with mine and smiles gently. "If you say so. But if I was born because of that, then doesn't that mean he had to be created because of another reason? It's not like he just popped from the back of your imagination, Miku." Gumi tilts her head to get a better view of the wrecked me, her short green locks spilling overhear shoulders. "He had to be rooted from somewhere."

"That's the thing, though. I have no idea what created him." I whimper and stare at the ground ahead of me - anywhere besides her empty gaze. Suddenly, something inside of me cracks and anger spills all throughout my body. I snap my gaze at Gumi and yell no longer caring who hears me, "If you're supposed to be there for me, then why don't you save me from him? Why don't you push him away from me? Can't you sense when he's teasing me?!" Pure anger and hatred fills my eyes - I know because I can see my own reflection in Gumi's shocked, soulless eyes.

Soulless eyes are they key. They are the key to know what's different from everyone's reality and my reality. Real people don't have soulless eyes, only my hallucinations do. How can a gentle person like Gumi, whom is supposed to be known as a _friend_, have such an empty gaze when her personality is filled with life? If anything, I am more fake and imaginary than her. I might as well be labeled dead - I hide myself from the real world, anyway.

"Miku," she starts, obviously alarmed by my slapping outburst, "do you really want to know why I can't help you when he's with you?" Her voice remains calm and smooth, like silk fluttering in the wind.

My outraged gaze weakens, but I never look away from her gaze. I don't have to answer her question before she faces me and says, "Do you really think I don't try to pull him away? Do you believe that I just sit around and let him cause you all this pain?"

She stops talking for a brief moment, allowing me to let her words seek deep within me before continuing, "He won't let me get near you when he's with you. It's as if he controls all of us. When he's with you, I suddenly lose all my senses connected to you - and I have no choice but to wander around looking for you. It's as if I'm in a maze, and your screams just refuse to reach my ears." She sighs. "But as soon as he steps away from you, he completely vanishes. He only appears when he wants to visit you.

"I guess that's why I can't cross his path - there isn't a path to cross in the first place. He has an interest in you and only you. I can't even sense him outside of your mind." She lightly shakes her head.

I stare at her completely at a loss for words. Even if I had anything to say, my throat has been twisted dry. Finally, I manage to choke, "I thought you said you didn't know anything more than me, how do you suddenly know all of this?"

Within a blink, her smiling face erases from my eyes and only her gentle voice is left behind echoing around my pounding head, "We have personalities of our own, too. Those are my thoughts on how it works, and your mind just agrees with me."

Minutes of piercing silence stab through the chilly air as soon as Gumi leaves me alone in the cold. Sighing bitterly, I slowly get to my feet and comb my fingers through my hair in frustration.

All of these hallucinations... they all have a mind of their own so it seems, as if they truly exist in the world instead of only caged inside my mind. All of them - the cats, the dogs, the rats, and even the humans - live only inside my head, no matter how real they seem, no matter how much I can physically feel them, no matter how emotional they can be.

"I am only imagining them."

Even though the words were less than a mumbled whisper, it's a phrase I caught myself saying ever since I was little. It's a phrase that helps me sleep better at night, wake me up brighter in the morning, be more social to my classmates at school; but even I know it's a flat out lie.

No one else may see them, but I do. And they are a part of my daily life. There hasn't been a single day - hell, a single _hour_ - since the day I was born that they haven't stalked me. They have always been there, following me like a magnet.

I bolt my gaze to the glass balcony door double-checking that he is gone before I quickly slip back inside the warm house. My body immediately numbs to the cozy heat of indoors compared to when I was outside in the freezing night that was slowly stretching over the city. I let the numbing pain take over my chilled body before leaning down to pick up my fallen phone.

As soon as my long fingers whisper a brush against the back of the phone, my hand immediately flinches back as I drop it causing it to make a loud _thud_ on the carpet. It's freezing - colder than any winter that has swept across our small city. Hesitating, I reach for it again this time more aware of its bitter feeling. Picking it up and ignoring the numbing bliss coming from the phone, I tightly wrap my slim fingers around it.

Why is it so _freezing_...? It's been inside all day in this cozy blanket of warmth, and there isn't any floor air vents it could have fallen on. I turn the phone over and over trying to figure out why it's so ice-bittering cold, but soon I just give up and shrug it off.

I quickly press the call button on my mom's contact name and bring the phone to my ear - the coolness of the phone still tightly latched to it makes me flintch again as its cold touches the bare skin of my ear. After three rings, a calm, soothing voice speaks through the phone, "Hello, Miku?"

"Hey, Mom, I... uh," I stutter, my voice trembling in an unattractive pace. It's never easy to tell my parents I need more pills, or something's bothering me about my hallucinations, or anything about my illness. It feels as if my schizophrenia is my secret and only belongs to me, so it's tough to confess to someone else - especially through phone.

"I'm at the store right now - do you need anything? Is something wrong?" She asks, a hint of worry floating in her voice.

Even though she can't see me, I shake my head. "No, nothing's wrong," I lie, "I'm just running out of... _pills_. Can you stop and get more for me? The boy is following me more than usual today and I want him to go away." I hold my breath hoping to sound like everything's perfectly fine so she doesn't have to worry any longer.

A few empty moments pass by, but there's no response. "Hello? Mom?" I wait a few more brief moments, but nothing besides silence whispers into my ear. Pulling my phone away and glancing at the screen, I can see that it is back to my home screen - that she might've hung up by accident or something.

Growing impatient, I tap her contact again and bring the phone up to my ear waiting to hear her angelic voice again. On the first ring, she picks up - but doesn't say anything. Itching to make sure she gets more pills for me, I say, "Hey, Mom? Sorry, phone must have hung up. Anyway, did you hear what I wanted you to get?" Sucking in my breath again, I wait to hear her response - even though I already know the answer will be yes, of course.

Again, moments of silence come through the phone. Checking the screen once again, I make sure the call is still going before returning it back to my ear. "Mom? You there?"

"You don't need pills. It makes him feel lonely when you can't see him for a while."

My eyes snap wide open and I quietly gape at a loss for words. Suddenly, my body freezes in place and stiffens tightly. The voice - it wasn't Mom's. It was a young male, but _definitely_ not one that belongs to my mother. It seems as if I'm fighting away a choke as I eventually mumble, "Who the hell is this?"

As if those where the key words, I can hear the other side of the phone click and immediately end the call. Pulling the phone far away from my numb ear, I stare at it as if it's some sort of unidentified creature.

I absolutely know I called Mom's number... so whose voice did that belong to? It wasn't anyone's I recognized. And if it wasn't Mom and Dad is probably still at the hospital checking on my doctor, who else could it be that they know about _him_? I've only told my parents about the boy surrounded in darkness - and they aren't the type to let shared secrets spill - especially ones from their daughter about her... problem.

As if a lightning bolt just shot through me, a nagging feeling begins to sink into me... a feeling of horror and panic - but I just can't name it. For a few moments, I sit there facing the wall trying to dig even deeper to find out what this sudden feeling is... but then it suddenly hits me faster than when it first came to me: _someone is watching me._

Hesitantly, I slowly begin to turn around to face whatever - _whoever_ - is behind me, where the feeling is the most strongest. For a brief flash of a moment, something tells me not to look and to just turn away - but it's already too late. I've already caught a glimpse of that familiar demented smile in the corner of my eye.


	2. Capture

**Whispers in the Dark**

**Chapter 2: ****Capture**

It feels as if my heart has suddenly decided to stop beating. It's as if I have just been stabbed and bled to death because nothing in my body wants to move no matter what I command it to. It's as if I'm drowning and everything is slipping from my grasp. Of course, everything besides him.

My eyes rip wide open and my breath chokes in my dry throat as soon as he takes a small step towards me... and then another... and another. I beg my legs to let me run away - to help me escape from his blind gaze locked on me. But no matter how much I beg, they refuse to move the slightest.

I can feel myself tremble more and more the closer he gets to me. This feeling is _painful_ - worse than physical torture. The thought alone of not knowing what he's thinking is terrifying.

Feeling my whole body twitch and struggle to even remain standing up, I just can't seem to convince myself to run away from him. It's as if my feet are bolted to the carpet below me. It's not long until I can feel his cold, bittering breath whisper along the back of my neck. Unable to close my eyes, I have no choice to suffer a glimpse of him in the least. I didn't even have enough energy to turn all the way around to face him as soon as I seen his smile, only enough to turn my head slightly. The rest of my strength leaked right out of me.

He raises his gloved hand, slowly but cautiously before letting it hover over my shoulder. Before I'm sure he's about to grab me and make me surrender to him, he lowers his arm back down to his side changing his mind. Instead, he leans close to my ear and whispers, "I won't let you leave me, not this time. I will make you see me, and I will _never_ leave your side."

His breath of a whisper slithers around my clouded mind like a snake ready to snap its sharp little fangs into me. Finally able to close my eyes, they immediately shut tight hoping that when they open again, he will be no where in sight. But deep inside, I know that he will never disappear no matter how many pills it takes.

"Leave me alone," I struggle to say. It's as if I'm fighting against myself - every part of my tensed body feels like it's tied down with weights and is a pain to lift. "Please, _go away_."

His bitter lips remain only a hair away from my numbed ear refusing to get any closer and refusing to move away, so when I can hear him faintly smirk, my whole body stiffens. "Why would I want to do that? You're so amusing." He chuckles.

"I said go away!" I snap and jolt my shoulder against his body making him take a step back away from me. Whipping around to face him, I clench my fists and lock my gaze with him. His smile immediately erases from his pale face as he takes back his step and leans in close to my face. Gripping my chin between his slim fingers, he forces my gaze to fall upon him and him only.

I inhale a breath of his cooling scent as any hint of bravery I had moments ago slips right from under my feet. My body returns back to its shocked state and I am forced to stay in place once again.

He has never physically touched me before - for all my life, he has only watched me and slither some venomous lies into my ear. The closest he has ever gotten to me was barely caressing my cheek as a child. _Barely._

"Don't you ever think that you're the one in charge here, Miku. You have no idea how much it pisses me off when you think you have taken a step ahead of me."

"Go to Hell."

Suddenly, his grip on my chin loosens - but only for a brief moment before my head suddenly snaps to the right and my whole body begins to follow. A loud smacking sound echos and bounces around the walls as I stumble over my feet and loose my balance. Before I can mindlessly slam onto the pale carpet, long arms wrap tightly around me and prevent me from greeting the floor.

Bringing my hand to my raw cheek, a burning flame blooms as soon as I brush my fingers against it. Flinching at the pain, I slowly open my eyes to meet rich sky-blue eyes locked onto me. Jolting my eyes wide open, I try to stumble away from his tight grasp, but it's no use. I have already been captured in his grip around me. Giving up, I look back up at his face - at his eyes.

His hood must have fallen back slightly when he caught me, allowing my eyes to lock onto his - a pair of creamy blue eyes that are completely unrecognizable and freshly new to me. For a moment, a flash of alarm crosses his pale face. Before he can react any further at his mistake, he quickly replaces the expression to one that... that seems _amused._

I tremble and shiver under his freezing grasp. For a moment, I thought about begging to him to let me and get out of my life, but that would be a terrible mistake. He's already slapped me for talking back to him, God knows what he would do if I continue to whine.

His gaze drowns me away from the rest of the world as my body numbs - but not from the cold of the temperature this time. Feeling paralyzed, I don't react when he gently presses his hand against my burning cheek as his gaze firmly locks onto mine. His touch soothes the burn - even though it's the same hand that violently slapped me with such force I was swept under my own feet.

"If I went to Hell, I would drag you with me." His sickly sweet voice rings around my ears like a virus. I can faintly see his lips twist into a smirk as he smiles down at me.

He lifts me up closer to him until my face is buried in his neck and his lips return to my ear. "And when that happens, I will become the Devil himself and make you my wife. How does that sound, Miku Kagamine?"

"Kagamine...?" I mumble, my whisper muffled into the heat of his jacket. His grip on me quickly tightens forcing me to shut my eyes, but as soon as his grip loosens and I can open my eyes again, I find that he is no longer holding onto me. Instead, I find myself laying down on the carpet and his touch or gaze is nowhere to be found.

Sitting up and brushing my hand against my cheek where he was touching only moments before, I look around the eerie house but he is no where to be seen. A sigh of relief escapes my lips as my body finally allows me to move around and stretch.

_Kagamine._.. why would he label that as my last name? Of course, it's _not_ possible for him to _not_ know my real family name because he shares my mind. Where would he get a completely different name from?

* * *

A sigh escapes my dry lips as I slowly sit up and bring my hand to my head. Finally surrendering the fight against trying to fall asleep, I bring the covers up to my nose and close my eyes in the empty darkness of my room.

Leaning my back against the back-frame of my bed, I sneak a glance at the glowing alarm clock silently letting the numbers pass by as time goes by with its green numbers lighting up the room. It's been two hours since I first crawled into bed - and a whole two hours I have been begging myself to allow me to fall under the blanket of sleep.

Before I turn away, my eyes staple themselves to the small orange container laying on its side next to the alarm clock. The white label on it faces me as if taunting me before I reach over to pick it up to read what I've read a million times before.

_Hatsune, Miku_  
_Directions: Swallow two daily to help decrease hallucinations._

Normally, as soon as Mom or Dad hands this to me, I will take them as soon as they put the container of pills in my hand. But when Mom walked through the door, I didn't run over to her and wait patiently until she hands them to me. I didn't choke them down as soon as they were in my grasp. I didn't rush to retrieve my medicine.

Instead, I casually walked over to her, she handed the pills to me, and I went in my bedroom to hide away from the world for the rest of the night. I'm still not quite sure why I haven't taken my dose of pills yet. Maybe because for once, I don't feel threatened, maybe because I want to talk to Gumi for a bit longer, maybe because I didn't feel trapped when _he_ appeared.

Sighing again, I put them back on my nightstand and shuffle under my covers and begin to attempt to fall asleep once more. Closing my eyes, it doesn't take long until sleep finally begins to settle over the stressed me... or at least until a sudden shift in my bed awakes me from my half-sleep daze.

Grunting, I peek over at the black cat that stares at me with dull orange eyes before breaking his gaze and begins licking his paw. Weakly smiling, I turn around to get a better view of the small cat.

Reaching my hand out in the pale moonlight, I lightly pet the cat behind the ear as alarm dances around in his eyes. "Hey, Mr. Kitty, what are you doing here this late at night?"

I haven't seen this cat in such a long time now... he used to appear more often when I was a child. I guess that understandable since "Mr. Kitty" was one of my childhood's friends.

I first imagined him when I saw a dead black cat on the side of the road on my way to grade school. Terrified, I ran back home to my father and sobbed for hours. Seeing the poor thing tossed and left to rot broke my heart. I felt so bad for the little thing seeing it beaten and barely cared for, even if it was just a stray cat and got hit by a car by accident.

For the next week I couldn't stop thinking about the poor little cat... until I seen it laying next to me in art class at school. From then on I played with him as if he was my best friend, even though I was well aware it was another one of my hallucinations: a hallucination of the dead cat I felt terrible for.

The black cat gazes at me lazily before jumping off my bed and slipping through the slim crack of my bedroom door. Curious, I toss the thick covers to the side and slide out of my bed. Walking lightly and quietly, I attempt to make as less noise as possible so I don't wake my parents from their dreamless sleep.

Finally making it to my door, I look down the hallway but it's empty. Walking slow, I eventually pass my parents room without making much noise and make it to the living room. Glancing at the kitchen, the faint glow of the outside porch slithers through the kitchen window and dances along the counter top and sink.

A frustrated sigh escapes my lips as I walk over to the light switch that controls the porch light. It's my "job" to turn off all the lights outside before I go to bed, but since I went straight to my room after Mom came home, I haven't bothered to do the simple task.

Before I can finally switch the faint light off and head back to bed, an orange flicker flashes in the corner of my eye. Peeking outside the window, I can see Mr. Kitty siting down on the wooden railing and gazes far into the night. Leaving the light switch flipped on, I unlock the back door and peek outside at the cat.

At the sound of the door opening, his head jolts to me and locks his orange eyes with mine. For a brief moment, we stay staring at each other completely motionless until the cat turns around and jumps off the railing into our back yard.

After a few moments of deciding, I finally slip on my shoes and pace quickly after the cat. He's obviously trying to show me something and since that cat has never brought me harm before, I believe he's trying to show me something important - not to mention his absence over the past year or two.

Mindlessly wandering into the darkness of night, I finally catch a glimpse of the cat laying down in front of the pool of trees that invade my backyard. Walking up to him, he meows at me before turning his gaze into the forest. Following his gaze, I immediately freeze in my spot.

A tiny pale hand sticks out from behind a think blanket of trees. Hearing my own heartbeat thud frantically in my ears, I slowly walk towards the small hand - _a child's hand_ - as Mr. Kitty pounces to his feet and paces back towards the house. Breathing heavily, I peek past the tree... and it feels has if a stab of shock has sliced through my body as my eyes lock onto dull, soulless brown eyes staring at the sky.

A small girl, no more than ten years old, lays motionless and silent in the dying grass of the forest. Even though the soft glow of the moonlight dances upon her still body, her red dress can't hide the seeping red that blooms over her chest and throat coating her small figure in a glistening red puddle.


	3. Follower

**Whispers in the Dark**

**Chapter 3: ****Follower**

Gumi sits down next to me silently on the front steps of my porch. Placing her hand gently on my shoulder, I faintly break my gaze away from the crowd of police officers surrounding two sobbing strangers and sneak a glance at her worried expression.

She opens her mouth to say something but immediately closes it and fixes her gaze on the mourning couple instead. Turning back to look at the broken married couple, I can see the wife sob in her husband's arms; but even he looks as shattered as her.

"I wish I seen the girl before you did," Gumi finally speaks, "so you wouldn't have to see a dead child. I can't imagine how painful that is to witness."

"I could care less about that," I nod my head at the sobbing couple, "they're the ones who are in pain."

Gumi sighs and nods slowly as she brings her knees to her chest. "Can you imagine? Being parents and then loosing your child? That's pure torture."

I close my eyes from the blinding flash of the police cars and tug at the thin blanket around me tighter to hopelessly block the cold from reaching my body. I let all the sounds of muffled voices grow dull around me and try to erase the image of the dead girl away from my mind - but seeing her short black hair dancing around her blood-drained face, well, that's something that probably won't leave any time soon.

After a few minutes of trying to numb my mind, a large police officer walks up to Gumi and I - or _me_, anyway - and places his hands along the rim of his uniformed belt. Deeply sighing, his thick mustache twitches along with his lips before his eyes peer down at me.

"Well, Miss Hatsune, the girl you found is Yuki Kaai; a nine-year-old student who lives with her parents not far from here." His deep brown eyes lock straight onto me as his deep, husky voice rings around my foggy head. "Do you know her?"

I shake my head and break my gaze away from him. The last thing I need is to be questioned here and now. It's bad enough that my mind seems to be fazed from the horrifying image of a nine-year-old child. I don't think I can talk about something so... _fresh._

In the corner of my eye, I can see Gumi briefly glance at me before eying the large police officer standing before us. She seems to get what I'm thinking, so she stands up and walks out of my vision - back inside, I'm assuming. I'm sure she's trying to make me follow her so I can run away from this mess, but...

"Miss Hatsune, I must inform you that you will come in for questioning sooner or later." The man nods down at me. I nod, still refusing to talk. He eventually walks away - but not without eying me before walking all the way back to the circle of officers.

Sighing, I finally manage to force my weak legs to let me stand up and walk back inside the warm house.

I don't remember falling asleep on the couch, but perhaps my dazed mind finally surrendered to the stress that has been laying on my shoulders all night. When I woke up, I remember glancing out a nearby window and seeing the sky a gorgeous, rich pink laying over the rising sun.

Assuming it's sunrise, I get to my feet and walk to my parent's bedroom - but only to find that only the glow of the faint sunlight is dancing over the empty bed instead of my sleeping parents. A wave of concern courses through me staring at the empty bedroom.

Reaching for my phone, I see that my mother has left a missed call an hour ago and a following voice mail. Before I listen to it, my eyes catch a glance at the time.

6:53 PM.

_I... I slept all day long!? Is it really sunset and not sunrise?_

Sighing, I bring the phone to my ear. For a moment, I feeling of hesitation flows through me and fills me with panic. What if... what if that same male's voice comes through the other end instead of my mom?

Before I can end the voice mail, it already starts and fills my ears with my mother's sweet, warming voice. Smiling in relief, I quietly listen.

"Hey, sweetie, it's me. Your father and I thought it would be necessary to leave you alone to sleep because of last night. The police officers wanted to talk to us for a while so if you need anything, just call back or come visit us at the police station. See you in a bit, love you."

Faintly smiling, I gently place the phone back into my pocket and glance in the mirror next to me. Dark circles stain my eyes and my skin is drained from blood - if I didn't know better I would've mistaken myself as a ghost.

Avoiding further gaze with myself I brush my knotted hair a bit, throw on my shoes along with a thin jacket, and step outside. Fall's crisped air fills my lungs and drowns my body in its thick coat of brisk coolness.

"Oh, so you finally woke up, hm?"

I jump at the sound of the deep, husky voice. Snapping my head to my left, a business-suited man leans against the wall of my house with his hands in his pockets. He casually flips his dark blue fringe away from his eyes and locks them to mine.

Once my eyes meet his sparkling ocean-blue ones, a sense of sanity calms me. At least I have the precious luck of knowing what is real and what isn't just by looking at eyes. Maybe that's why most people think I am just like them, that there isn't anything wrong with me. That I'm _"normal"_.

He reaches inside his black coat and pulls out a golden badge as well ad an ID card for me to see. _Kaito_ _Shion_ is written on the small piece of paper as well as_ "Offical Police Detective"_. The badge matches everything the small card states. He seems awfully young to be any sort of detective. He appears to be no older than twenty.

He quickly places it back inside his coat and breaks his gaze from me and instead gazes far in the distance. "Did you really think that you wouldn't be suspected, Hatsune?"

A few silent moments pass between us before I finally shake my head. "No, of course I knew I would be a suspect, Mr. Shion."

He glances at me from the corner of his deep-blue eye before silently sighing. "Personally, I don't think you had anything to do with that girl's death."

I jolt my gaze to him as a small gape escapes me. "Really? Why not?"

Based off of all the cop shows I used to watch, I would've thought that I would be the first person they would suspect. Since, after all, I am the first one to find the child laying in my backyard. And based on what I saw, there was no evidence of who the real killer was.

He shrugs. "I don't know, just a feelin'." He turns to face me as his eyes dim. "But you never know, I might be wrong. After all, you aren't... a _normal_ teenage girl."

I open my mouth to say something - anything to know that his words has offended me, but I shut it just as quickly. What's the point of defending myself? It's true, I'm _not_ a normal teenage girl. And that's my reality.

His lips twitch up into a smirk. "If you are going somewhere, I'm afraid that I will just have to tag along with you, Miku."

"What? But why? It's not like I'll do anything, so -"

"- _so_ it's my orders. I can't let a killer get loose." He jokes.

I scowl at him before finally nodding. Something about a stranger standing by my side until they catch the killer seems... unsettling. But of course, it's not like I can refuse, either. That'll just make the police suspect me more, and I don't want to risk getting arrested for something I didn't even do.

"Oh, and for the time being, you and your parents are to not step foot in your backyard for private reasons."

"Investigating?"

He smiles. "Something like that."

I nod, sure to not trip and fall into his bad side. Kaito seems the type of person where if you become someone he doesn't accept, there's no way to get back to his good side. And that's bad especially when you are now a part of a crime and he's a step ahead. He can be the one to possibly decide my future based on my actions.

But there's no chance I'll "trip", because I didn't do anything wrong. There isn't anything I need to worry about - except that the killer murdered a child and left her rotting corpse in _my_ backyard.

A shiver runs down my spine at the thought. What sort of sick person would kill a child? They didn't even try to hide her poor body. Whoever it is, they must have a strong feeling that they will never get caught to leave her numb body exposed.

"Well, if you have to follow me, I'm just going for a walk to settle my headache. I would appreciate it if you didn't talk," I say to Kaito. He quietly nods. "Don't worry, I won't be right by your side. I'll be sure to give you some space."

I nod him a thanks and walk down the porch steps. Before I can ever leave my yard, his deep voice calls over the lawn, "Don't you think you need a thicker jacket? Winter is right around the corner, you know."

I glance at him. He hasn't moved yet, he just remains leaning against my house. I shake my head. "No, it'll be a quick walk. I don't like being outside at night."

He stares at me without nodding, without accepting my choice, without any sign that he heard me. Instead, he stands quietly with his gaze never leaving mine.

I eventually force myself to turn my back to him. Trying hard to ignore that his gaze is locked onto me, I quickly cross the street as my feet meet the familiar dirt path that hides in a blanket of trees.

Ever since young, I have always walked up and down this "secret" trail into the woods. It helps calm me when the hallucinations get out of hand - of course, meaning _him_. I find it strange that only _he_ can't come near me when I'm outside during the day. He can bother me all he wants when I'm inside a building during the day or anywhere I am at night.

He just seems to be blocked from ever seeing daylight, even if I'm out here. None of my other hallucinations have a problem with coming outside in the daylight - even the other "bad" ones that haunt me. Maybe it's perhaps because _he's_ the worst one in my mind and has his disadvantages for the advantage of keeping me in fear.

It just make no sense.

After a several minutes of walking, I find my gaze glancing behind me. And just as I thought, I can see the man with dark blue hair a long ways from me. Far away, but close enough to keep his eyes on me.

Biting my lip, I turn my gaze back in front of me and continue to walk on the dirt ground surrounded by trees.

I've slept for the entire day, but even now I feel like I haven't slept in weeks. This usually happens when _he_ does something unpleasant to me for his amusement. But that along with finding a dead child right after, I'm surprised I actually managed to fall asleep at all. Either way, my body feels weak and unrested.

_This weekend has just been Hell for me._

As soon as I glance up at the sky and see that night is slowly approaching, I eventually make up my mind to start heading back home. I'm afraid that if I witness anything startling that I'll fall into the pit of insanity.

Turning back around I notice that Kaito isn't in my vision. Maybe he had a phone call and perhaps stayed a little behind so I wouldn't be able to hear. That isn't too clever since if I was the killer, I could easily run away without a second thought.

It doesn't matter, I'm on my way back out of the deep blanket of woods. I have walked down this path so many times, I could easily find my way back blindfolded.

_Snap._

I flitch at the sound coming from behind me as goosebumps begin to cover my entire body. At any other time, I would've laughed at myself for being so defenseless and weak.

It's _his_ fault for leaving me broken and trembling in the darkness. It's _his_ fault for leaving me so shattered and scared. It's probably nothing more than a rabbit hopping on some fallen twigs - yeah, that's it... right?

Slowly, I force myself to fix my gaze back behind me. With the setting sun that lingers dark shadows caused by the towering trees, it takes me a minute but I finally realize the black cat laying down beside a nearby tree. As soon as I look at him, his orange gaze meets mine and he gets to his feet.

He briefly shoots me another dull glance before going off trail and takes his own route into the darkness of the woods.

Hesitant, I don't immediately follow him. Last time I did, he lead me to a bleed-to-death child. I will, without a doubt, go insane if I see another dead body. But in a way, I'm happy I've found poor Yuki. The sooner she was discovered, the sooner she could be buried in peace.

But I don't want to see another dead body ever again. It's bad enough that I have schizophrenia, and that alone is torture.

Gazing up at the sky, I can tell that there's less than an hour I have left to get back home. If I stay here in the dark, he'll definitely show up sooner or later. Well, he can still show up at my house at night, but some nights I get lucky and he leaves me alone to sleep in peace.

Taking one more glance behind me, I can see that Kaito still hasn't caught up. Maybe if I hurry, I can see what this cat wants without being questioned or stuck in the night with _him._

Eventually making up my mind to follow Mr. Kitty, I step off-trail and into the blanket of towering trees.


End file.
